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The New England Patriots hosted the Chicago Bears on Monday night. Patriot fans showed lots of emotion Monday night; booing quarterback Mac Jones out of the game and cheering for the once third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe. In the last two seasons, New England is now 0-9 when their opponent scores more the 25 points. There were lots of duds and very few studs but let’s dive in and identify the risers and fallers from a gut-wrenching performance.
Studs
LB Matthew Judon
Matthew Judon continued to be New England’s most disruptive defender. Judon had 2.5 sacks, five pressures, and two tackles for loss. Judon is now the league leader in sacks this season with 8.5. In addition, he tipped the ball that Myles Bryant intercepted in the first half. Judon is playing at a all pro level and should see himself back in the Pro Bowl later this season. If Judon continues his success, he will be a force for opposing offenses season-long.
LB Anfernee Jennings
On Monday night, the third-year linebacker Anfernee Jennings was a surprise star against the Bears. Jennings played on the opposite side of Judon most of the game and is starting to fill the role of Kyle Van Noy or Dont’a Hightower. He held his own all night with six tackles and one sack. Jennings can provide a spark to a struggling New England defense.
Duds
Trent Brown
With Isaiah Wynn dealing with a shoulder injury, the hope was the line would be penalty-free. Wrong. Trent Brown arguably had his worst game as a Patriot. Brown was called for two holdings, one false start, and one tripping. Brown had three pentiles in the game’s first two drives, although one was offset. Brown struggled last week against the Browns. He has to play better and protect the quarterback more.
Run defense
The Bears ran for 243 yards on the ground against the Patriots. Led by quarterback Justin Fields (83 yards), the Patriots had trouble stopping the run. New England now leads the league in most rushing yards given to quarterbacks. On designed runs alone, Justin’s Fields totaled 6.3 yards (12 designed runs). Meanwhile, running backs David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert had 62 yards each.Davon Godchaux said after the game, “They attacked us in the quarterback run game kind of like Baltimore did…Showed us some repeat plays that kind of beat us in the past. That’s what our defense is struggling with. Quarterback runs are killing us right now.”
Coaching
It is partly on coaching when you allow 33 points and 390 total offensive yards to the worst offense in the league. Michael Onwenu, Jakobi Meyers, and Rhamondre Stevenson told the media they didn’t know the quarterback situation after the game. That is a recipe for disaster, and if not for the fans, Bill needs to tell the team who the starting quarterback is. Matt Patricia had a rough game dialing up plays for the offense. Jones was under center on one dropback and only had three play-action throws.
Quarterbacks
Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones combined for 17/28 for 198 yards, three interceptions, and one touchdown. Mac Jones looked uncomfortable to start the game, scrambling out of the pockets and making poor decisions. In four games, Jones has four interceptions and five turnover-worthy plays. After the crowd’s booing and Mac’s interception, Zappe entered the game without going back to the bench. Zappe came into the game and immediately threw a touchdown, Zappe fever, cooled off by the end of the game.
Jake Bailey
Jake Bailey continued his poor season and had two punts under 40 yards, one of which allowed Dante Pettis to have a 27-yard return. The Bears had an average field position on their 33-yard line. Bailey signed a four-year extension this offseason and needs to improve.
Injuries
Two important starters left the Bears game with injuries in center David Andrews and safety Kyle Dugger. Andrews went down after getting hit on an illegal blind side block following a Zappe interception. Shortly after, the Patriots announced Andrews was being evaluated for a concussion and will not return. Ferentz took over for Andrews and is the next man up if Andrews misses extended time. As for Dugger, he left the game with an ankle injury and did not return. Kyle Dugger is a key asset to the Patriot’s defense, and his absence would be a huge loss.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
